A federal monitoring report has implicated a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy in the use of excessive force resulting in the death of inmate Jeffrey Fairchild, who became quadriplegic after an incident at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in September 2024.
According to the report released in early October 2026, Deputy Eric Barraza is accused of violently pushing Fairchild face-first into a metal window frame, causing him to fall onto the concrete floor. The impact fractured Fairchild’s neck, leaving him paralyzed. Fairchild was hospitalized and remained under medical care until April 21, 2025, when he died at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach following a heart attack. His family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County, Barraza, and several unnamed deputies assigned to the jail that day.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in September 2025, alleges that Deputy Barraza employed excessive and unreasonable force. It seeks unspecified damages and was prompted by the family’s belief that the force used directly contributed to Fairchild’s death. Denise Fairchild, Jeffrey’s stepmother, described the moments leading up to the assault, noting that Fairchild had been handcuffed and subjected to a diabetes-related sugar test shortly before the incident. She said Barraza allegedly threw Fairchild against the wall as he was returning to his cell.
Barraza and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have denied wrongdoing. In court filings, their attorneys asserted the force used was justified and conducted without malicious intent, maintaining that Fairchild had charged at the deputy—a claim disputed by federal monitors. The Sheriff’s Department’s internal report quoted Barraza as saying he applied controlled downward pressure to guide Fairchild safely to the floor.
Federal monitors, appointed under a 2012 class-action consent decree addressing excessive force in the county jails, reviewed surveillance footage that contradicted the department’s account. The video showed Fairchild walking away from Barraza when the deputy initiated contact, describing the takedown as abrupt and violent. The monitors concluded the use of force was preventable and violated safety protocols.
Following the incident, the Sheriff’s Department disciplined Barraza for failing to use de-escalation tactics and reprimanded a sergeant for lapses in post-incident assessment. However, the monitors noted that no disciplinary action was taken in relation to the actual application of force, and they criticized the department for failing to address alleged misrepresentations made during the internal investigation.
Jeffrey Fairchild had been incarcerated for violating parole related to a 2022 criminal threat conviction at the time of the incident. Family members acknowledged his troubled history but emphasized that his violent death was unjust. His father, Halford Fairchild, called for accountability, asserting that only through punishment of those responsible can such violence be curtailed.
The case is part of a broader pattern of concern over deputy conduct in Los Angeles County jails. A 2012 class-action lawsuit known as Rosas vs. Baca highlighted systemic issues of excessive force by correctional officers, resulting in a court-mandated reform effort. Despite these efforts, a 2022 report by federal monitors found ongoing violations of use-of-force policies, including frequent blows to inmates’ heads.
The Sheriff’s Department reaffirmed its commitment to oversight and corrective action but faced criticism from civil rights advocates who contend that insufficient measures have been taken to stop deputy violence or hold officers accountable. Peter Eliasberg, chief counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which represented inmates in the Rosas case, said the Fairchild incident exemplifies a troubling trend of unpunished excessive force and deceptive investigatory practices within the department.